Through a series of photographs officially released on January 21, it was confirmed that stealth F-35A fighters of the United States Air Force (USAF) intercepted Russian Aerospace Forces’ strategic bombers and escorts in the Alaska ADIZ. Although this had been officially reported by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in its statements on February 18 and 19, the days when the incidents took place, no mention had been made of the deployment of U.S. aerospace assets.
As reported yesterday, NORAD confirmed that aircraft of the Russian Armed Forces conducted long-range patrol flights within the Alaska ADIZ. The incidents occurred on February 18 and 19, with the mentioned flights taking place in international airspace, without any violation of the air borders of Canada or the United States being reported.
As has been reported in recent months, the activity of Russian aerospace assets in the Arctic has been a cause of concern and alarm for the Pentagon. This is reflected in various reports and public conferences by U.S. Air Force officials, highlighting the increasing importance of the Arctic region for rival powers such as Russia, to which the People’s Republic of China must also be added.
Regarding the incidents recorded on February 18 and 19, the main aircraft involved were Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers and their respective escort fighters.
Following a chronological order, in line with NORAD’s reports and the images released on February 21, a long-range patrol flight of Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft was recorded on February 18. This patrol consisted of two Tu-95 strategic bombers and two Sukhoi Su-35S fighters, which carried out a patrol over international airspace in the Bering Sea.
The viralized photographs reveal various details of the aircraft intercepted by U.S. Air Force stealth F-35 fighters. First, the Tu-95MS bombers were escorted by a pair of Su-35S fighters, one of the most modern combat aircraft in the Russian Aerospace Forces, equipped with R-77 and R-73 air-to-air missiles. Additionally, thanks to the sequence of images, the identification numbers of both planes can be seen: “09” Red (RF-93650) and “51” Red (RF-81718), indicating their belonging to the 23rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, stationed at Dzyomgi Air Base in Khabarovsk Krai.
Meanwhile, although the February 19 patrol consisted of the same type of aircraft, its focus was the Chukchi Sea, located north of the Bering Sea in the Arctic Ocean. However, the escort aircraft, also Su-35S fighters, belonged to a different unit than the one recorded on February 18. Specifically, one of the aircraft bore the identification number “24” Blue (RF-95493), denoting its affiliation with the 22nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, based at Tsentralnaya Uglovaya.
Another interesting detail about the Russian aircraft formation is that one of the Tu-95MS bombers involved in these recent incidents, aircraft with identification number RF-94189, participated last year in joint patrol flights with H-6N bombers of the People’s Liberation Army over the Sea of Japan, demonstrating the concerns expressed by U.S. military leaders about the growing cooperation between the Russian and Chinese Armed Forces. On that occasion, the combined flights were closely monitored by Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.
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